Multi‐centre Phase II Study of Low Dose Intravesical Epirubicin in the Treatment of Superficial Bladder Cancer

Abstract

Forty patients with multiple recurrent superficial bladder tumours received an 8-week course of weekly instillations of 4' epirubicin 30 mg in 50 ml saline. The overall response rate was 58% and side effects were minimal.

A controlled study of intravesical epirubicin with or without alpha2b‐interferon as prophylaxis for recurrent superficial transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder

“…The present results agree with other findings in this respect [4,5]. Whenever toxicity has developed, it has frequently been mild and transient, and limited to bladder irritability lasting 2-3 days [5], although there are contrary reports [6]. Melekos et aI.…”

“…Epirubicin was developed in an effort to find a new effective drug with lower toxicity, and recent tests have shown intravesical instillations of this drug to be both effective and safe for the prophylactic treatment of superficial bladder cancer. The present results agree with other findings in this respect [4,5]. Whenever toxicity has developed, it has frequently been mild and transient, and limited to bladder irritability lasting 2-3 days [5], although there are contrary reports [6].…”

“…The most common approach to treating superficial bladder cancer is transurethral resection (TUR) with fulguration of the tumour, but even with this treatment up to 85% of patients will have recurrent tumours, often during the first year [1][2][3]. Intravesical chemotherapy has therefore been investigated widely and used as a prophylactic against recurrences [4][5][6]: since 1976, immunotherapy has also offered substantial possibilities for treating superficial bladder cancer [7][8][9].…”

“…Epirubicin (4'-epi-doxorubicin) is reportedly effective for prophylactic treatment, with few side-effects [4,5,10] despite reports to the contrary [6,11]. Intravesical immunotherapy with alpha2b-interferon (alpha2b-IFN) has been shown to be of comparable efficacy to conventional chemotherapy, with a low incidence of systemic or local adverse effects [7].…”

Cytological Changes Induced by Intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Therapy for Superficial Bladder Cancer

“…In recent years epirubicin (4)-epidoxorubicin), a derivative of doxorubicin, has been ap-plied for intravesical instillation therapy [3][4][5]. This chemotherapeutic agent was synthesized with the aim of finding anthracycline analogues with an improved spectrum of antitumor activity and lower toxicity.…”